Writer Dr. G.B. Harish speaks after receiving Veer Savarkar Samman Puraskar 2025
Mysuru: “Vinayak Damodar Veer Savarkar’s ideology must be propagated from the perspective of Hindu welfare. Only if Hindus remain the majority in this country will the Constitution and democratic values survive,” opined Dr. G.B. Harish, Founder, Vandemataram Pathashale, Bengaluru, writer-critic, Indian and Western Philosophy.
He was speaking after receiving the Veer Savarkar Samman Puraskar 2025 at an event organised by Savarkar Pratishthana Mysuru to commemorate Veer Savarkar’s 142nd birth anniversary at Kalamandira last evening.
Dr. Harish voiced concern over the suppression of Hindus and Hinduism in modern India by communal and vested interests and emphasised that Savarkar’s ideology stands for a revitalised and constitutionally safeguarded Hinduism.
“Wherever Hindus are weak, Hinduism faces threats. Wherever Hinduism is awakened, Hindus grow stronger. Supporting Savarkar’s ideology is synonymous with supporting Hinduism — a path that must be constitutionally pursued,” he said.
A genius ignored by the ruling class
Dr. Harish noted that although Savarkar lived in post-independence India, successive Governments ignored his contributions.
“He was never even included in the Bombay Municipal Corporation. Nehru ruled for 17 years, followed by Lal Bahadur Shastri, yet Savarkar’s strategic mind was never tapped — even during the wars with Pakistan and China. If Savarkar were born in China, he would have been given the nation’s highest honour,” he stated.
He further lamented that Savarkar was denied a Government pension and that 10,000 pages of his writings, confiscated by the Police, were never returned. “His literary genius and historical insight remain hidden from the nation,” he added.
Bhagat Singh and Savarkar
Dr. Harish, who is set to release a book comparing Bhagat Singh and Veer Savarkar, criticised attempts by left-leaning historians to pit the two revolutionaries against each other. “Bhagat Singh himself called Savarkar ‘Veer Savarkar’ in a Hindi journal. The narrative that paints them as ideological opposites is a distortion,” he said.
He called Savarkar’s life a story of victory, not victimhood. “Every effort Savarkar made shook the British. His pen and gun both instilled fear in colonial rulers. Yet, post-Independence India tried to erase him, just like the British.”
Referring to Savarkar’s song “Jayostute,” Dr. Harish said it was once sung by Lata Mangeshkar on All India Radio, but she was removed from her job and issued a notice for it — an act he called “a shame for a free India.”
Presenting the award, Swami Muktidanandaji, President of Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, Mysuru, praised Savarkar’s life and work. He said, “Reading Savarkar inspires patriotism and intellect. His message is like the sun — bright and full of national pride. Unfortunately, our education system ignores him. If the youth read Savarkar, they will learn to love and defend the nation.”
Other dignitaries at the event included Sri Shivabasava Swami of Sri Ramayogishwara Mutt, Babybetta, Dr. N. Chandrashekar from Aditya Adhikari Hospital, Gokulam and Dr. S. Yashaswini, President, Savarkar Pratishthana. The event concluded with a call to intensify the translation and dissemination of Savarkar’s literary works in Kannada through the Savarkar Sahitya Sangha.
This post was published on May 30, 2025 6:38 pm